Nunnally's Smile
by lostsword
Summary: It will be some time before Nunnally ever smiles her smile again, Suzaku thought grimly. How wrong he was. Multi-chapter. LelouchxC.C., KallenxGino, JeremiahxSayoko.
1. Chapter I: Grim Preparation

"You Cretin!"

With an elegant flourish, Suzaku sent Lelouch's pistol flying before drawing it back and driving it forward once more.

Lelouch gasped painfully and fell forward onto Suzaku.

"Curses! I have been slain by the ingenious masked knight of infinite fame and legend...now I will die...I never...saw this...c-coming..."

C.C. grunted in boredom as Suzaku fought valiantly to maintain his composure before following Lelouch to the floor in a fit of belly-deep laughter.

"You were doing so well...until _someone_ wanted to be dramatic." She remarked dryly as she stared at the two young men from across the room.

Though she looked slightly younger than the two eighteen-year-olds, especially while sitting on the cold throne-room floor hugging a large yellow plushie, the green haired woman had walked the earth longer than she cared to think about. In all the centuries she had put behind her, never once had C.C. seen two people laugh while working out the finer details of the latter assassinating the former.

Because that was what was happening tomorrow morning.

Suzaku Kururugi was finally going to kill Lelouch Vi Britannia and complete his self-given vendetta of avenging Princess Euphemia, formerly known as the massacre princess.

"I'm sorry," Lelouch apologized as he sobered his face quickly, "I suppose I got too carried away."

Suzaku looked at his former friend—for that matter, his former _enemy_ as well—with an odd expression on his face. "Is it even possible to get carried away when acting out your soon-to-be very real death?"

Lelouch shrugged as he remained emotionless, his mask once more in place despite the helm of Zero laying several feet away by the foot of the throne.

"I think that we have worked out all the details. If there is nothing else you need, I'll be retiring to my quarters." Lelouch stated simply as he glanced at C.C. to see if she would be following after him or going off on her own.

Silently, C.C. rose and made her way to stand by her accomplice's side as Suzaku nodded and came to attention. He then half-bowed from the waist up and said softly, "Yes, your majesty," as the Emperor of Britannia and his companion left the throne-room.

* * *

"You're awfully quiet," Lelouch remarked as they entered his room, a lushly decorated and extravagantly spacious eight-room suite in occupying the highest level of the new palace built in Tokyo. After the recent destruction of Pendragon, it was understandably spartan in terms of personal touches. Though neither Lelouch nor C.C. kept much in the way of personal belongings that were ever far from their person anyways.

"That's twice now you've shown an interest in me that went beyond a mere hindrance to your mission in this month alone." C.C. teased softly as she glanced at him from the corner of her eyes.

"I must be catching something," Lelouch murmured as he closed the distance between them and pinned the witch against the now closed door of their room with his hands on either side of her head, forcing her to look up at him. "So what is wrong?" He repeated, his voice serious.

C.C. glanced down at the floor briefly before meeting his eyes as she replied, "nothing is wrong, should something always be wrong if I don't immediately jump into your arms once we're alone?"

Lelouch smirked at her and nodded his head, "yes, I would say that is a fair assessment at what I'm deducing my reasoning from." He teased as a ghost of a smile appeared across her face.

He opened his mouth to again press her for information when she slid a hand up to the back of his neck and pulled him down to her.

"Just for once, Lulu, let someone else win." She whispered softly before closing the gap between them.


	2. Chapter II: The Zero Requiem

Lelouch lay awake in his bed.

In _their_ bed.

The current object of the ruler of the world's attention was the green haired witch sleeping soundly within his arms. The immortal vixen was curled up tight against his bare chest while her toes fused intimately with his own as their legs lay wrapped together under the sheets.

While the nubile female's curves normally held his attention for the better part of the day, Lelouch was instead staring at her peaceful face. He stared at the soft, gentle, curve of her lips; they were all but hidden from view. He traced her cheeks to her ears, which were almost always hidden from view by her hair. He doubled back to her closed eyes and remembered her vibrant golden orbs.

Everything about C.C said hidden. Her body excluded a sense of the word "private" that most people would never know. In fact, to most of the world, she was a completely unknown entity despite having existed longer than most of the former super-nations of the world.

But to him, she was something else. To Lelouch Vi Britannia, C.C. was more than just a hidden secret that he had run into completely on accident.

She was treasured.

And so, as he awaited the hour in which he would have to rise and thus disrupt this perfect moment of peace and prepare himself for the grip of death, Lelouch tried with all his considerable will to memorize her face.

He knew every inch of her body as if it were his own. He knew her personality inside and out. Indeed, they had _literally_ traded their entire memories with one another. There was just simply no way to know anyone better than he knew C.C.

Yet he feared he would forget the face of the only woman left in his life. Shirley's would never leave his mind's eye for so long as he lived—which wasn't very long actually—and Kallen had cemented her face in his own enough physically to leave it there mentally. Nunally's would forever be engraved after he had walked away from her, laying on the steps of the throne room of the Domacles.

But not C.C.

She had been with him since he had started down this journey that both Heaven and Hell would damn him for. She had followed him every step of the way without a word of hesitation while others had abandoned him. From his first orders to the imperial soldiers to take their own lives to his commands ordering the eradication of billions, she had stood by his side as they stayed a course through an ocean of blood.

Yet he feared he would forget her face.

How the hell was he supposed to walk willingly to his death when this woman was laying in his arms?

He remained as he was for another hour or so before the woman in his arms stirred and groaned softly as she stretched against him. It was not entirely a completely natural reaction to waking up so early in the morning as it was an inviting ploy on her part and Lelouch had to admit he would miss their bedroom banter.

"Good morning," he whispered gently into her ear, causing a genuine smile to spread across her features as she looked up at him, her golden irises locking with his fuchsia-violet ones.

"Good morning," C.C. repeated back as she leaned up and kissed him softly before returning for a second and third helping. The kissing turned slightly heated and his hands were in her hair as she clung to him before he realized his face was wet with her tears.

"C-" She silenced him with a finger to his lips as she buried her head in his chest while fighting valiantly to maintain her cool composure. She had nearly broken down last night after everything was said and done, but having him hold her had seemed to have ailed it away.

"Why...why do you have to do this?" She muttered, her voice equal parts broken and angry. Lelouch remained silent, knowing that anything he said would be the wrong thing. Any logical argument would become illogical. This was just another beating he would have to endure until his task was complete.

"Answer me you bastard!" C.C. demanded as she smashed her fist onto his chest as she, the immortal and otherworldly being near outside of time itself, broke down again and held onto the emperor of the world with all her might.

After a very long several minutes, she calmed down and began to compose herself as someone rapped on his door roughly.

"Lelouch, it's time." Suzaku stated solemnly from the other side of the wooden door.

Pulling C.C. to him softly, Lelouch kissed her gently before tilting her head to face his own.

"You're sure you wish to stay?" He inquired as she fought back the tears that were reforming once more at the corners of her eyes.

"I'd rather go back to that church then watch Arthur's chew-toy kill you." C.C. stated simply, though the aloofness in her tone failed to fully develop and it came out more as a raspy wheeze than a sarcastic remark.

Lelouch grimaced and leaned down to kiss her once last time. She met him halfway and the lip-lock became fiercely passionate as Suzaku began to bang on the door once more.

"Promise me something." Lelouch said immediately after they had separated for the final time.

"What?" C.C. demanded after eyeing the dark haired man suspiciously.

"Don't do anything stupid."

C.C. merely nodded as she began to withdraw from him and return to her side of the bed. She was stopped by Lelouch grabbing her wrist.

"Lelouch Vi Britannia c-commands you," he said weakly, his voice cracking, as he made one final joke at her while throwing his arm off weakly to the side. Despite it all, the green haired witch actually giggled sadly before leaning up and kissing his nose.

"I'll await our reunitement until the sun burns cold and the dark realm is opened to the gates of Poseidon." She stated solemnly.

Lelouch, despite it all, quirked an eyebrow. "Is that really how the world ends?"

C.C. stared back at him blankly as she said, "you won't get to know, so why do you even care?"

The emperor of the entire world chuckled sadly and kissed the top of her head before turning around and leaving the room before the emotion of the moment could appear on his now stoic features.

It was only after she was sure that Lelouch Vi Britannia was never coming back to their room that the Immortal Witch of Cathers crumpled in on herself.

* * *

"I guess this is where we say goodbye, Suzaku," Lelouch remarked as he and his knight stood in the shadows of the archway that would lead out onto the muster field where the Imperial Motorcade lay awaiting his orders to move out. Soldiers ran this way and that as they patrolled the grounds while guards and technicians respectively moved the maximum-security prisoners onto the transports and prepped the vehicles.

"It would seem so, Lelouch," Suzaku agreed simply as he adjusted the collar on his disguise. Minus the helm, he was nearly a spitting replica of Lelouch's Zero. He would seem very realistic when the crowd gathering in Tokyo finally saw him on the way to the execution grounds.

"Before you go, I wanted to show you this...before the end." Lelouch said just as simply as he clasped Suzaku's forearm with his own. The brief confusion that had erupted across the Knight of Zero's face was blown away in shocked awe as memory upon memory flew through his mind's eye. The brunette fell to his knees as his eyes watered as he came to the full realization of what all Lelouch had endured so far. And what he would endure very shortly...

"L-Leouch...how...you even...lied about forcing...h-how?" Suzaku nearly whimpered as he fought against the emotions of the memories. The deaths, the sins, the madness of it all nearly consumed him and he was but an observer. How could even a man such as Lelouch stand so calmly as it ate at him every single second?

"I did order Euphe to kill all those people." Lelouch said, once again in a simple tone, as he adjusted his crown. "It wasn't on purpose, but it wasn't something I did all I could to stop either. I just wanted you to see it all before..."

"I don't even know if I can drive this blade into you now..." Suzaku murmured as he rose to his feet.

"Do it...if not for yourself or Euphe, than for all the innocent blood I have on my shoulders."

"That same blood swells to my chest just as much as it does to your shoulders."

Lelouch smiled at him, but in a sad way.

"Here we are, Suzaku, fighting over which one of us is more damned. But we are both cursed to our fates, so let us carry out our final free acts." And with that, the Emperor of Britannia walked forward through the archway and out onto the muster field and into the light.

* * *

"We're approaching the city, go ahead and take your position Jeremiah," Lelouch ordered as the motorcade began to slowly rumble towards the royal colony of Tokyo.

"Yes, your majesty." Jeremiah said with rigid solemnity as he thumped his arm across his chest and gave a formal half-bow from the waist up.

However, rather then turn and make his way to his post by the golden-chain-clad form of Schneizel, he bowed once more in a deeper, more respectful, full bow.

"It has been my most greatest honor to serve you in these last few moments, my lord, Lelouch Vi Britannia." Jeremiah said emotionally as he voice wavered briefly at the beginning before finishing with the strong and proud voice of a loving servant.

Lelouch tilted his head to the man, as a bow or any other form of acknowledgment would be suspicious to the crowds now gathered around all sides of the motorcade.

"It has been my honor, Knight Gottwald, to use you as I saw fit and it is my desire that you be informed that my mother would be proud of what you have done for her in her name."

Jeremiah, now even more emotional, half-bowed once more before heading to his post.

It was probably a little too much, Lelouch decided, but figured the world was too busy seething at him or fearing him to really pay attention to how defeated Jeremiah was looking as he assumed his post by Schneizel. It was also a bit much to say what he had said about his mother, especially considering how she had tried to destroy the world; but it had meant a good deal to Jeremiah and the man had proven that regardless of all the other things that could be said about him, he was loyal to a very fine fault.

As the motorcade rumbled onwards, Lelouch began to muse. Outwardly, his face remained pridefully confident with a cruel sneer thrown in at one corner of his lip. Inwardly, he was thinking on all the death and destruction that would lay in his wake.

He had slaughtered millions, he had committed virtually every atrocity that could be found in any book in any—former—nation. He had even wiped the memories of friends and loved ones and forced his own sister to commit acts of terrorism in her name rather than his before coldly executing her in some corrupted rape on the word of justice. He had lied and betrayed everyone that had ever lent him their ear or their confidence. He had crushed the heart of his little sister and forever denied her the love of her older brother.

He truly the Demon Emperor Lelouch.

But it was not all for naught. With all the nobles of the empire dead, brain-numb, or powerless thanks to his and Jeremiah's efforts, the U.F.N. had a good chance of establishing itself peacefully before the empire was able to recover. More than likely, Nunnally would succeed him as the only living capable heir to the throne—unless Cornelia suddenly, and in all honesty probably, resurfaced.

But if all went according to plan, those deaths would have meaning. Peace would reign forever even if the bill had come far, far, too high. Lelouch was content to an eternal spot in hell's deepest circle so long as Nunnally was able to live on in a world that never again saw mass-violence.

The world erupted in shouts and cries as the motorcade came to a stop.

It was time.

Lelouch let a startled expression claim his face as he watched "Zero" appear and make his assault on the motorcade. The nightmare pilots had been instructed to miss the knight on purpose and then forget those orders following Jeremiah's stand down command. It was doubtful that they would hit Suzaku, but it was always better to be safe than sorry in case that unfavorable scenario came upon them at this stage.

Jeremiah ran forward to engage "Zero" and was immediately "dispatched" by the masked hero. The avenger of justice landed before Nunnally—also in chains—before leaping forward and landing before Lelouch.

Feeling his stomach clench and drop into the pit of his very being, Lelouch rose and drew his pistol. It was a real one this time and was even loaded.

"You cretin!" He roared and pulled the trigger as "Zero" flourished his blade, deflecting the shot while sending the pistol flying. Lelouch felt just the tiniest bit of fear pump into his stomach as he watched the _large_ sword withdraw and then fly forward.

 _For all of you..._

Lelouch knew the pain of the blade soaring into his solar plexus had to have been terrible. He felt his body go numb and something coppery splattered up his throat and out of his mouth.

He should have been screaming in agony. Instead, he only saw Shirley and Euphemia smiling at him as they both touched either side of his face with their hand. He fought of the smile that wanted to appear on his features as he smiled at them with his eyes. His time would come, but for now, he had to finish one last thing that was not on the script that he and Suzaku had practiced.

"L-Lelouch..." Suzaku wept in anguish as he felt the dying man lean onto him for support as _more_ of his blood spilled both from his back and his chest to stain both the white of his robes and the floor of the emperor's mobile throne.

"The punishment for what you've done shall be this then." Lelouch began as he coughed more blood up.

As he began his speech, Euphemia and Shirley joined Suzaku in holding up Lelouch, their unseen strength keeping him from falling forward almost immediately. Lelouch, realizing he really was dying if he could see two ghosts before him, finally allowed a warm smile to start to spread over his face as the girls weakly smiled back at him.

"You will live on, always wearing that mask, serving as a knight for justice and truth. You will no longer live your life as Suzaku Kururugi." As he felt Suzaku start to shudder under the emotional agony of what he was doing, Lelouch reached up and held his friend for the briefest of seconds with a bloody hand.

"You shall sacrifice the ordinary pleasures of your life for the benefit of the world...for eternity."

"This Geass...I do solemnly accept." Suzaku breathed out as he prepared for the final moments of his friend's life.

As Lelouch lost the strength to hold up his hand, "Zero", with a mighty pull, drew the blade out of the demon emperor and turned to the side. Lelouch stumbled forward several feet and paused as the now silent crowd took in the sight of the dying emperor and his bloody clothes.

"Euphe...says..." Lelouch breathed out so quietly that Suzaku almost missed the words.

The Emperor of Britannia fell to his knees and felt the world spin several times far to fast to follow.

"She...loves...you."

And with that, Lelouch the Demon fell forward and tumbled down the ramp that led to the throne atop the transport. He came to a stop at the foot of the ramp in a crumpled heap and lay still.

As Suzaku turned to face the crowd he felt the gentlest of caresses on his cheek and realized that the last time he had felt _that exact caress_ had been when Euphe had died. Choking on his tears now, he heard Nunnally start to wail hysterically as her brother finally met his end.

With a herculean effort, Suzaku managed to find the will to flip the blood off his blade as the crowd began to cheer and storm forward. The guards began to fall back as Jeremiah gave the retreat order.

Nunally continued to wail and wail brokenly as—her skin now more red than her dress—she held her lifeless brother and begged him to not leave her.

 _It will be some time before Nunnally ever smiles her smile again_ , Suzaku thought grimly.

How wrong he was.


	3. Chapter III: M's World

"Well...that was unexpected..."

Lelouch found himself lying on the floor of C's world, the former beautiful and mystical orange scenery now back in its' full glory.

"Well look who decided to finally wake up," a slow and elderly voice hummed pleasantly.

Glancing up in the direction of the somewhat familiar voice, Lelouch, the dual holder of the titles of Demon Emperor of the World and the Most Hated Man in Existence, felt his jaw drop slightly at what he was seeing.

"Am I dead?" He inquired dumbly as he slowly got to his feet, "Or, is this some sort of crazed illusion I hear the condemned go through before they finally die?"

The man with the dark skin and thin, graying, hair chuckled softly as he indicated the demon emperor take a seat at the table that had not been there a minute ago.

"I feel that it would only confuse you more to tell you you're correct."

"On which note?" Lelouch demanded as he sat across from the man at the table overlooking C's world's horizon.

"Both." The man said, visibly pleased at his wit, as he chuckled deeply.

Lelouch glowered at the man before asking the question that had been assaulting him from the very beginning.

"Are you really Morgan Freeman?"

The man sobered his expression quickly and stared at Lelouch seriously.

"What do you think?" He asked.

"I-I don't know." Lelouch stammered, suddenly confused at the man's change in demeanor.

"Alright, I guess the fun is up." The man said as he reclined in his chair in a way that should have defied gravity, yet the chair held perfectly still at the impossible angle.

"In order," the man held up a single finger, "yes, you are dead."

He reclined in his chair even futher until he was very nearly horizontal. The chair wasn't even touching the ground anymore.

"Yes, you are currently being re-killed on a rather rapid basis and as such I pulled your consciousness from your body to spare you the torture...after a few times..." the man gave Lelouch a rather pointed look.

"And finally, no, I am not Morgan Freeman."

"Then _who_ are you?" Lelouch demanded as he tried to keep his brain, if he even had one now that he was dead—dying?—somewhere on earth, from hurting too much after _that_ speech.

"I'm called many things," the man said with a joyous cackle, "but Britannia mostly recognized me as God."

Lelouch felt his stomach—again the question of if he had one now—clench.

"Oh."

The chair that the man had been nearly floating horizontally in suddenly flew down towards the table with an unbelievable level of grace and came to a gentle stop before it. The dark-skinned man propped his elbows on the table and put his chin in his hands as he stared straight into Lelouch's Geass covered eyes.

"So, Lelouch Vi Britannia, Demon Emperor of the Entire World, do you think you should get to go to Heaven?" The Morgan Freeman look-alike asked, his tone suddenly serious.

* * *

"Lelouch...the price you're going to pay for using your Geass on them is a dear one..." C.C. said softly as she knelled before the alter on both knees.

" _The only ones who should kill are those prepared to be killed..."_

Even with her hands clasped together tightly in a sign of submission that she hadn't made to God in nearly two or three hundred years; even with her tears now running down her face freely; even with her presence in a now derelict building that she had avoided for almost her entire time as an immortal, C.C. couldn't help the soft smile that threatened to push past her pain.

Lelouch had told her that on more than one occasion when they had fought—and they had fought often—over why he couldn't just fake his death. He had felt that the punishment for taking a life had to be having their own life taken. It was as tightly welded to his constitution as his belief in what he was doing was just.

He would _become_ a monster, but he would never _be_ a monster.

"I know the time I have kept silent from you is longer than most people have walked the earth thrice over, but if there is any way, any way at all, that I can cast off my immortality to join Lelouch in death...please...please speak now..."

She fell silent as she waited for the inevitable silence. She had come to the old and forgotten ruins shortly after Lelouch had departed for the mustering field. C.C. had meant what she had said to Lelouch, she would rather spend his last hours in her most hated place than watch him die and do nothing to stop it.

"I feel the need to inform you...that if L-Leouch does die and I am not freed from my immortal form, I will continue to kill myself until either you relent or my mind breaks." C.C. said as she brought her hands down to her lap and bowed her head in a muted sign of acceptance of her fate.

Silence.

"You're choice." She muttered.

Pain. So much pain. So much pain and so much suffering. The world of agony was flooding through her chest and out her mouth as she fell face first before the alter.

She had never imagined it would hurt this much, even through the Geass connection's remarkable linking system. She couldn't imagine what Lelouch was feeling right now.

And then it stopped.

Closing her eyes, she waited for the severance of the Geass connection and the final confirmation that the only man to ever worm his way past her aloof defenses and into her life—and even more so, to _know_ her _true_ _name—_ was now dead.

But it didn't come.

The connection stayed strong, if muted.

But it stayed.

It. Stayed.

"C-can...can it t-truly be?" C.C. sputtered in awed amazement.

* * *

Lelouch stared at God.

God stared at Lelouch.

Time passed by.

"Yes." Lelouch said pompously as he smiled at the man seated across from him.

"Final answer?" Morgan Freeman asked with a raise of an eyebrow.

"I am more of a god to those people now than you ever were, "Lelouch remarked haughtily as he clasped his hands together before him. " _I_ should really ask if _you_ wish to enter Heaven."

The Morgan Freeman shell laughed deep from his belly and continued to do so until he nearly fell flat out of his chair. He remained that way for some time before finally coming to a slow, chuckling, halt.

"In _all_ the years, both past and future, realized or not, in your particular strand of time, I have _never_ gotten to meet such a great manifestation of creation." He said with a smile. " _Truly_ , Lelouch, you are something else. Lying even to _me_ all the way to the very end!"

Lelouch didn't know how to respond to that statement, so he continued to hold his hands before him on the table.

"I know all about you, child. I know all about that little hand-clasp-to-hide-your-nerves trick. You can be honest with the one who runs it all up here in the clouds." The man said with a smirk.

Lelouch's eyes widened as he started to sputter in shock.

"Now then," the man began as a chess set—much like the table and chairs—appeared as if by no real effort.

"How about a game of chess?" Morgan Freeman said as he allowed a small scale to appear beside them. "You'll wager you're return to Earth..." A miniature statue of Lelouch in his uniform appeared on the scale, weighing it down.

"...and I...will wager C.C.'s immortality." A miniature statue of the C.C. appeared and the scales balanced out. "A fair trade if you ask me."

Lelouch eyed God's shell with suspicion and skepticism. "You'll forgive me if that deal doesn't really sound like a fair trade." He gestured at the scales for emphasis, "I win something and you gain nothing in either scenario."

God eyed the man at the chess table.

"I will tell you one more truth you have yet to realize on your own," the man said as he too gestured at the scales. "This game is different from every other game you have ever played in your life. It does not decide a winner or a loser, it decides _what you want_ from here on out."

Lelouch felt his face color in embarrassment as he suddenly understood the significance at what was being wagered.

"So...I either spend eternity with C.C. in Heaven or I get to spend what's left of my life on Earth with her?"

Morgan Freeman quirked an eyebrow, "I never said you would get to go to Heaven, or her for that matter. I could just split you up between the overworld and underworld and let you ride out eternity forever within sight of each other, but also forever separated."

Lelouch, for the first time since he had arrived in C's world, felt his face go deathly pale at the implication of that statement.

"So what will it be? A possible eternity of either being with your witch or never seeing her again, or a short time with her where she will again be left alone and you will once again face the possibility of Heaven or Hell as your ultimate destination?"

Morgan Freeman reclined in his chair just ever so slightly.

Lelouch smiled.

And then he reached over and tipped the black king face forward, signaling his surrender.

"You know, white gets the first move..." Morgan Freeman said with a soft smile as he stood up and moved towards Lelouch. "Explain your reasoning and maybe I'll allow your little stunt."

Lelouch smirked cockily at the shell of God.

"I'd just do it once it's my turn," he countered.

"I'm God. I get to do whatever I want."

Lelouch frowned before replying, "I don't care about eternity. I don't care if I suffer or prosper. I brought the world the darkest era it has ever seen because I wanted Nunnally to have her dream of a gentle world." He glanced at the chess board briefly as he mentioned his sister, "which I did, by the way."

"Likewise, I want C.C. to have her dream of having someone love her for her and not because of Geass. I could grant her the loss of her immortality, but she would still have to live out her now mortal life on a world that doesn't even know she exists.

Even if she eventually dies and ends up in Heaven—which is where she belongs—she will still be alone. Even surrounded by Shirley and Euphemia and the others who will eventually die. I am the only one that truly knows her well enough to love her for her.

We're partners, accomplices, it's as simple as that...I go where she goes and vice versa. So I will choose the outcome that brings her the most likely chance of happiness.

That means I will return to Earth and suffer through eternity there until the world finally comes to its' ultimate end."

God waited and listened.

God smiled.

Morgan Freeman smirked as he spoke, "you _did_ catch on to that little hint about dying over and over at the beginning didn't you?"

"I figured playing dumb wouldn't be too hard before God." Lelouch smirked back.

"Well, you're correct about your guess. You have Charles' code that he took from V.V. and because of that you're reviving as of this moment in a tomb owned by the Kururugi's. It has taken quite some time and it would have been quite painful had I not pulled your consciousness when I did. The crowd that got a hold of your corpse got quite carried away. They lobbed off your head and burned your remains before draw and quartering what was left."

"I-I suppose a thank you is in order..." Lelouch stated, clearly startled at such a gruesome end for his body. In hindsight, it made sense considering the amount of hatred he had gathered towards himself.

But still.

"A thank you to Suzaku would be more appropriate. He publicly told the world in his first declaration as Zero that your body was thrown to a pack of wild dogs and then burned in the fires of Mt. Fuji. Instead, he buried you in the Kururugi mausoleum."

Lelouch took a moment to digest that.

"I still admire your decision to go back to earth and perish with C.C." The shell said with a smile now, "the world would never believe just how deep your character goes."

"So...do I go back?" Lelouch asked hesitantly.

"Of course." Morgan Freeman answered as he made a gesture, "but first your boons and your directive."

"My what and my what?"

"Lelouch Vi Britannia," the shell began, "for fulfilling three lifelong dreams of those dear to you, namely..."

He held up a single finger, "establishing a new and gentle world."

 _Nunnally_

A second, "a world free of classification and oppression."

 _Euphemia_

A third and final finger was raised, "and the noblest of all dreams, to find a true love."

 _…C.C._

"I grant you the boons of The Sight of the Eagle and The Cloak of the Chameleon," and with that the shell walked forward and put his hands over Lelouch's eyes as the mark of the Geass opened on his palms.

Lelouch vaguely remembered screaming as he suddenly realized he was on his knees now. His vision had blurred briefly, but he suddenly felt something he was used to, yet at the same time it felt alien.

It was a Geass connection.

"You are now contracted under me. This is the first time this has been done in your time-line in nearly two thousand years. The Power of the King has been caged deep within you, so that your connection with C.C. will not be destroyed; however, in its' place you now wield the Geass allowing you to see anywhere and anyone you desire at that specific second in time in your right eye; in your right, you wield the Geass that allows you to change your outward form to anything you desire, be it a circus strongman or an animal of your choosing."

Lelouch stared—quite possibly for the first time in his life—in utter dumbstruck shock.

"As for your directive—which is part of the contract I have just made with you—you are to deliver God's final wish to the world. To ensure this eternal peace is carried out until the very last moment of the very last day, upon which the sun shall cool and you and your partner shall cease to exist."

"I...I accept these Geass." Lelouch said after taking a long minute to digest all of that information.

"Good." Morgan Freeman said as he drew forth a sword of glowing white roaring with holy fire. "Now that we have taken care of you, we will take care of all those who are watching that you sent up here...or down there."

With that—and causing no small amount of deja vu for Lelouch—the dark-skinned man with the graying hair drove the blade through Lelouch's throat and withdrew it in an elegant flourish that sent dark goblets of blood onto the platform's floor.

Spurting blood, Lelouch had only the time to think that _this_ time he was actually feeling the pain of the wound before he fell off the platform and hurtled towards the cloudy abyss below.

The shell glanced upward and smirked,

"He'll do alright..."

* * *

Lelouch Vi Britannia awoke in a dark, humid, cavern-like chamber. He felt something stir next to him and he realized he had been breathing in and out heavily as he clutched at his neck with one hand and his chest with another.

"L-Lelouch?"

"C.C.?"


	4. Chapter IV: Resurrection

With something sounding more like a strangled whimper, C.C. dove forward and crashed into Lelouch with a harsh lip-lock that left them both dazed. They barely separated an inch as they traded several more kisses before calming down, if only slightly, enough to talk.

"You're...you're skin and bones..." Lelouch said; it was more of a question than a statement.

"You've been dead some time." She replied as the oddity of the statement hit him somewhere in his subconscious.

"You've waited all this time?" Lelouch asked, incredulous at the mere thought.

"When you died," C.C. started, "I lost all feeling." Her voice became quieter as she went on.

"Hunger...thirst...pain...none of it registered. Just this animalistic urge to see your eyes open and to know you hadn't broken your promise to me..."

"So...you've been starving...waiting for me..."

"I died twice from thirst, once from starvation." C.C. furnished dryly as she pulled Lelouch closer to her and nuzzled his neck. "Though the first death probably—certainly—reduced my life expectancy by a good amount before the second death and so on."

"If that was supposed to be helpful..." Lelouch started to say but was cut off by a kiss.

"It wasn't." She teased as she looked at him seriously with cracked lips and bleary eyes. "It's good to see you again Lelouch..."

"I'm glad you're glad to see me...but I have something to share with you now." With that, he reached over and touched her hand. Immediately, his memories from his most recent time in C's world began to flash before her eyes. Although he didn't intend to, his memories from his death also appeared before her, causing her to grab his hand in a death vice as she dealt with that particular hell of hers.

Once it was all said and done, C.C. let his hand go and reclined into him as he weary body finally gave out on her. "I see," was all she said before dozing off.

Lelouch smirked weakly down at her before deciding it was high time the two of them left the Kururugi tomb.

Lelouch's left eye was covered in the sigil of the Geass before his form shifted into that of a lightly muscled young man with brown hair and brown eyes. Glancing down at his physique, he smirked and glanced up toward the heavens.

"If I was still emperor, I would bring back that holy day of the week deal for you."

* * *

Lelouch lay in bed, his right eye glowing as he followed the lives of his former friends as they went about their days. He had learned—through trial and error—how to start and stop his Geass in away that basically turned his sight picture into a film. In effect, he could watch anyone he wanted to as if he were actually there in real time.

He had jumped from individual to individual and caught up on what he had missed while C.C. slept and regained her strength.

Milly had remained with her job as an imperial news anchor, though she and Rivalz had some sort of relationship they were working out now.

Nina had been pardoned by the U.F.N. and was now working with a likewise pardoned Lloyd and Rakshata in some sort of oddly run laboratory that involved more fighting than actual work.

Ohgi had settled down and married Villetta and the two now managed both the nation of Japan and a family.

Shinichiro had retired from the Black Knights and ran a bistro with Villetta as well.

And, of course, Orange. That had actually brought about a smile to the former emperor's features as he watched his esteemed former subordinate pick oranges with Anya on an orange farm before turning in to family meal cooked by none other than Sayoko herself.

There were only three people he had yet to look in on and he had refrained with good reason. It was almost frightening how long he could be under the spell of the Eagle and had limited himself to a certain amount of time a day that he could use it. He feared if he sought out and watched on the three people he had left out thus far, he might very well remain in that world of watching if he wasn't careful enough.

He felt C.C.'s hand on his and he blinked, canceling the Geass.

"You okay?" She questioned as their fingers interlaced.

 _I'm here._

"Yeah, just ready for a nap." He replied with a yawn as he curled into her mostly recovered body—to which she gave a semi-offended cry of outrage.

 _I know_

* * *

Stirring slightly, C.C. roused herself from her slumber and found herself staring at a jet black cat with fuchsia-violet eyes curled up on her chest.

"Pervert," she muttered before flinging the feline across the room as she moved to roll over. There was a satisfying thud and painful meow as Lelouch reformed into his normal form, albeit with a bruise now covering the entire left side of his face.

"Did you have to do that?" Lelouch—clad in just sleeping shorts—muttered as he climbed back into the bed.

"No." She said simply as she rolled back over and let herself be pulled towards him, "but it was fun none the less."

"Witch." He stated without any loving emotion in his tone whatsoever. He adjusted himself to a more comfortable position for the both of them as she nestled into his arms.

"Warlock," she replied with a small smile. "Let's get food."

"Okay, where?" He asked, already knowing the answer, but he felt like humoring her.

"The pizza place down the road. You're buying."

"W-what?" Lelouch replied.

"I starved and thirsted for almost three months while you got to lay and take a nap. The least you can do is go get me food." C.C. replied simply as she reached across him and dropped the nearest pizza vendor's business card on his head.

"You're kidding..." Lelouch grumbled as he eyed the card and glared at her again. They didn't deliver.

"Nope." She smirked and playfully rolled away from him. "If you hurry up and take me, maybe I'll share."

"Fat chance of that, despite how much you eat..." The former emperor of the world complained with a ghost of a smile as he got up and began to get dressed.

"I'll just go out myself then, Lelouch," she said simply as she stretched and grabbed his wallet from the nightstand by his side of the bed.

"Wait up," he called after her as he finished throwing a shirt on and followed after her. Behind his back, he held a bottle of water he had grabbed from a pile by the door and, after unscrewing the cap, dumped the lot of it on her head.

"I am going to kill you." C.C. stated calmly as she opened one eye to look at him before closing it as more water dripped from her bangs onto her face.

"Just making sure you stay hydrated as well," Lelouch taunted before transforming into his brown haired alter-ego and strolling out of the apartment with a dark-haired witch hot on his heels.

* * *

They had been living in a town just outside of New Pendragon for a little over three days before Lelouch saw her.

They had been out once again to get pizza from the nearby restaurant—both dine-in _and_ take-out—while bantering between themselves about C.C.'s questionable love of pizza. And a _long_ argument over why they were healing up in a town that didn't believe in delivery drivers. And—for once—Lelouch had lost badly.

Carrying a half-dozen boxes—to which C.C. did nothing to help except lighten his load one slice at a time—of varying pizzas that didn't even consist of one consistent topping all the way around, Lelouch turned the corner to take the street that would deliver him to their apartment.

He came face to face with Her Royal Majesty, Empress Nunnally Vi Britannia, flanked on either side by Zero and Kallen.

His jaw dropped and he dropped the pizzas in his shock. Zero tensed and Kallen eyed them suspiciously as Nunnally eyed the physically fit brown haired man beside the roundish dark-haired girl in confusion as he continued to stand there and gap at her.

"Please stand aside for Her Majesty," Zero said tersely as he gripped his sword. It was by sheer luck that C.C. moved him out of the way before he could clutch at his chest instinctively.

"So sorry, just out for a stroll!" C.C. said with fake perkiness as she and Lelouch watched them pass by.

"What an odd couple," Kallen murmured as she turned back around as they continued on their search to find Jiang and Kaguya, wherever the two had run off to in the vast market—but clearly strange—town.

"The only person I've ever seen eat that much pizza..." Zero started to say, only to be cut off by the captain of the Black Knights.

"She looked nothing like her though...plus she was so full of energy..." Kallen remarked as she glanced back only to find the couple had vanished from sight. Their ruined pizzas were now being ravaged by a pack of alley dogs.

"There had to have been more than one like her in the world anyways, I suppose." Zero agreed.

After the two shifted back into their normal forms upon reentering their apartment, Lelouch turned to his accomplice.

"C.C., we're moving to the next phase."


	5. Chapter V: Reunion

A pair of birds flew over the walls of the palace of New Pendragon and settled on the grounds gracefully. A pair of black clothed guards walked by without even paying them a second glance as they made their rounds.

Once the guards had turned the corner and entered another courtyard, the two both shifted into the form of Black Knight guardsmen.

"You're sure this is how you want do do this?" C.C. asked as she glanced around suspiciously.

"Yes," Lelouch replied simply as he gestured towards a doorway across the yard, "go that way, I'll go the other way. We'll meet up in the throne room, okay?"

"Yes, my lord," C.C. deadpanned as she saluted and made a half-bow in an over-dramatic fashion.

"Shut up," Lelouch replied with a roll of his eyes—which were lost on the witch due to their helmeted attire—before they split up in search of their prey.

It took Lelouch only five minutes to locate Kallen and Gino lounging in a sitting room with Rivalz—who had joined the knights shortly after his "death"—and another two knights he didn't recognize. They were all watching a broadcast by Milly with interest and barely noticed the new arrival.

"Captain Kallen, Her Majesty requests your presence," Lelouch said as he half-bowed.

"Huh? Okay?" The red-haired captain said in confusion as she stood up with Gino and made her way towards the door, only for the guard to block Gino's path with an outstretched arm.

" _Only_ Captain Kallen, Knight Weinberg." Lelouch said with a pointed glance at Kallen. "Zero is talking with Her Majesty. Alone."

Nodding her understanding, Kallen patted Gino on the shoulder, "it's okay, I'll be back in a minute. Let me know if Milly does anything...or Rivalz for that matter."

"Very well," Gino said as he glances at the guard for a moment before returning to his seat by Rivalz.

Lelouch led Kallen through the palace and into the throne room, where he turned around and waited after Kallen shut the doors.

"Where is-" she began to say.

"A little shorter than the long way around, eh, Kallen?" Lelouch said softly as he shifted into his original form, causing her jaw to drop and grab onto the door frame for support. Not even a second had gone by before Nunnally and Zero walked into the room through the imperial entrance with another guardsman, who shifted into C.C. upon seeing Lelouch.

A pin could have dropped from across the throne-room and it would have been heard whistling as it fell.

"L-Lelouch!?" Suzaku and Kallen cried out in equal parts stunned joy and outrageous disbelief.

"It is I!" Lelouch cried out as he struck out both arms dramatically, "Lelouch the Demon has returned from the gates of Hell to conquer the realm of man once more!"

He was then promptly tackled without a shred of dignity to the floor by a furiously crying Nunnally.

"You were dead! I watched you die! _I watched you die!_ " She wailed as Zero and Kallen hesitated in how they planned to deal with the situation they had suddenly found themselves in.

For her part, C.C. simply sat down on the floor and held Cheese-kun in her arms as she waited.

It took more than a few minutes, but eventually the Ninety-Ninth Empress of Britannia came to a slow and tired halt as Lelouch hugged her fiercely for the first time in a little over two years.

"You...you died big brother..." She repeated weakly.

"Yes...yes I did..." Lelouch said emotionally as he pulled out of the hug to look her in the eyes.

"Someone...explain this...please..." Kallen said as she stared at Lelouch with tears streaming down her face as Suzaku fell to his knees and removed his helmet.

"It...cannot be..." He claimed, sounding far off as he tried and failed to look at Lelouch through his own tears.

"I made a contract with God," Lelouch stated simply.

"H-huh?!" Kallen and Nunnally exclaimed in surprise while Suzaku's eyes widened in understanding.

"You went to C's world again..." He questioned as he got his emotions under control.

"I did. And I was contracted much like I was with C.C." Lelouch explained. "It is now my duty to protect the peace I died for. However, I will no longer be known as Lelouch or seen by anyone in this form. I will go on as a new man with a new face." He paused as he glanced at Kallen and Suzaku, both still very emotional as they finally came close to hug him as well. He then stared down at Nunnally with even more emotion.

"This is goodbye." He stated with finality in his voice.

"B-but...you just came back." Nunnally stammered as Kallen and Suzaku echoed her statement.

"I know," Lelouch said sadly as he hugged his sister again. "But don't worry, there is still one thing that has to be done before I can completely turn away from my former life..."


	6. Chapter VI: Nunnally's Smile

"So...you're Setsu Gottwald?" Milly asked as she examined the brown haired Japanese man and his black haired sister. "And you're-"

"Yukana," C.C. replied as she half-bowed to the "older" girl. "A pleasure to meet you!" She added cheerfully.

"Well...I hope you guys enjoy the festival today!" Milly said after an awkward pause before heading off the greet the next group of arrivals.

"I hate you so much sometimes, why did my disguise have to be an excitable girl?" C.C. demanded as they made their way to a waving Kallen who was surrounded by former and current student council members. Nunnally sat in her chair in the middle of them all, Zero by her side and Arthur in her lap.

"Just smile, act peppy, and remember you get to actually have pizza this year." He reminded her.

"The world's largest..." C.C. said happily as she closed her eyes.

"These are the two I was telling you about," Kallen said to Gino as she gestured at the two as they approached.

"Right!" Gino—now the vice-president under President Kallen—said with a click of his fingers as he smiled warmly at the duo. "You're the ones related to Mrs. Sayoko and old Jeremiah adopted right?"

"Yes, that would be us." Lelouch agreed as he shook the blonde man's hand.

"Well let's commence the tour!" Gino yelled excitedly as he began to lead them around the school grounds while Nunnally and Kallen—and privately Zero—fought to keep their stifled laughter hidden.

* * *

Lelouch and C.C. spent the day at Ashford Academy and with all of Lelouch's former friends. While he would openly admit most of them had started out as pawns in his quest for world domination, C.C. could tell clearly that he treasured his time with them dearly.

They chased Arthur around the campus after he ran off with Gino's key to the production booth.

They revisited the dorms, the pool, the roof, and other areas that they had frequented throughout their time there. Lelouch made a special trip to his room to collect his chest set.

Gino got a random idea to try and light fireworks off while jousting with the school horses and had somehow gotten it approved by Kallen. Her shrieking and the subsequent beat-down that followed proved to them that he had _not_ actually gotten it approved by her.

The swim team promoted their cafe and club with Villetta, who had already regained her shape after giving Ohgi his firstborn child, a daughter.

C.C., no longer bound by Lelouch's confinement to his room, tried every and any form of food she could find. Much of it was inedible—Cecile's stand—and even what was edible she gave up on in favor of saving room for pizza.

Lelouch spent some time with Suzaku at a memorial that had been set up there for Euphemia—now the famed "Framed Princess"— in one of the gardens.

As the day came to a close, people began to gather in the center of the school grounds for the final event.

The pizza toss.

"Where did your friends go?" Gino asked as he came to stand by Kallen.

"I think Yukana fell ill from all the food she was eating and had to leave. Obviously Setsu was going to take her home." She explained as she leaned on the blonde.

"I knew no one could beat C.C. in food consumption," Shinichiro stated as he and Ohgi arrived to watch the final event of the day.

"Who?" Gino asked.

"Not important," she said, flicking his nose.

"Yes, ma'am." Gino said dutifully as he crossed his arms over her. "I am still vaguely offended that I was denied the chance to do the pizza toss this year. I never got the chance last year!" He complained as Kallen chuckled.

"And now, our final event," Nunnally said over the intercom system as she and Zero stood inside the production booth with Milly and Arthur.

"Begin the Pizza Toss!"

The Ganymede rose up from under its curtain and began an elaborate and skillful array of arm movements that spread the dough out in a wide arc.

"Woah, he's pretty good!" Gino said in a small admission of—slightly jealous—awe.

"Who's driving it this year?" Ohgi asked as Villetta arrived and came up beside him and Shinichiro.

"Todoh," Kallen said.

"Rivalz," Gino said at the same time.

"Well, which is it?" Villetta demanded as she saw the confused looks on their faces.

"I-I thought you said Todoh flew in for this event specifically?" Kallen questioned her subordinate.

"One of the new council members told me you changed it to Rivalz!" Gino defended himself.

"So... _who_ exactly is driving the Ganymede?" Shinichiro asked, deeply confused.

With a final flourish of both its arms, the old-school frame dropped the dough onto the massive pizza board and began to spray it with tomatoes and other ingredients at an astonishingly fast rate.

Up in the production booth, Milly watched in awe as the final design of the pizza began to form under the ingredient assault. "The only one to ever do this well was...Lelouch..." She whispered as the crowd cheered.

"Well?" Ohgi asked.

"I-I-"Gino and Kallen stammered.

"And now for the quick-bake!" Nunnally shouted as the massive concoction of dough was shoved into the huge furnace and flash cooked.

Nina cheered maniacally from the sidelines as her newly designed machine hummed and then activated.

The pizza rolled out and the crowd began to cheer as massive chunks of it were cut by the Ganymede before being thrown into the crowd. A man who had run up after the initial release from the oven had been talking on his headset before Nunnally keyed the mic once more.

"This is now confirmed as the new international record for the Pizza Toss. Thirteen, point five, meters!"

A rapid cheer erupted as the crowd rushed to congratulate the pilot as the Ganymede set down. Gino had already shot off as the rest of the group chased after him, curious as to who the pilot could be.

Meanwhile, Kallen began to head towards the rear of the school while Nunnally announced that the previous record of twelve meters had lasted for two years and had been held by a former student council member—whose records had been lost and was thus not named.

Gino arrived just as the hatch slid open and the pilot hopped out.

"What!?" He cried upon seeing Arthur come gliding down cheerfully. The blonde could only stare in wonder as the feline took off into the stunned and confused crowd.

Shinichiro glanced from the fleeing cat up to the production booth. While Nunnally and Zero had vanished...

Arthur remained in the production booth.

Glancing quickly back at the crowd, Shinichiro confirmed that the Arthur that had jumped out of the Ganymede was still weaving its way through the crowd's feet.

"Uh...guys?" He began,

"No one cares, Shinichiro! Now get in there and save me some pizza!" Villetta barked as she shoved him toward the massive mob fighting over the remains of the gigantic pizza.

* * *

"So this is really goodbye big brother?" Nunnally asked sadly as she, an unmasked Suzaku, and Kallen watched as Lelouch and C.C. in their normal forms finished loading a cart full of supplies with a layer of hay.

"I'm afraid so, Nunnally...but I will be with you always. You can see now. And you can judge reality in full. Even your own future. Never forget that." Lelouch said, just as sad, as he hugged her. "I love you Nunnally."

Kallen pulled the chair back after they separated and held the girl's hand as she watched Suzaku and Lelouch say their goodbyes.

"Suzaku...you're Zero now. The fate of the world rests on your shoulders just as much as mine. Tomorrow is up to you. You have that much strength. And that much responsibility." He gave him a brief, but incredibly fierce hug. "Protect Nunnally with all your might."

"I will." He promised before turning around to replace Kallen as she walked towards the former emperor of the world.

"I know I promised you a life after the war-" Lelouch began, only to be silenced by Kallen as she gave him an equally fierce hug.

"Live your life for you, you idiot. Follow your contract, but try and—for once—fulfill your own dream too." She said as he nodded.

"I will. And I'm glad to see you're back in school Kallen. You belong there, with the others. You are the core of the Black Knights, the one who is stronger than anyone else." He briefly kissed the top of her head. "Don't give up on anything, you can have it all."

She nodded as the tears began to fall again.

"Don't let me ever see you back here! You lying, heart-breaking, bastard!" She said as she smiled sadly as she returned to stand by an equally crushed-looking Suzaku and Nunnally.

Lelouch smiled and his features shifted to that of Setsu Gottwald. There was no longer any trace of Lelouch Vi Britannia, the former Demon Emperor of the World and most hated man to ever live.

"Yes, my lord!" He shouted as he half-bowed. C.C. had shifted as well and preformed her own half-bow from the cart's only seat at the front of the cart.

Without another word, Setsu climbed up beside Yukana, who leaned onto him and yipped the horses into action. The cart took off without pause and was gone from sight within seconds.

As Kallen made her way back to the festival, Zero returned his helmet to his head and began to walk beside Nunnally's chair as she followed after Kallen.

"Big brother really is amazing Suzaku..." Nunnally said after a final sniffle before smiling widely as her eyes brightened. As the pair rejoined their friends, the Knight of Zero thought back to the tragic day when he had sworn Nunnally's smile would not be seen for some time.

Oh...how wrong Suzaku had been indeed.

* * *

"You know," Lelouch remarked as he eyed his partner after they had cleared the city and began the long trek to the Gottwald estate, "It's a little weird for you to be claiming to be my sister."

"I'll change it later," C.C. acknowledged sleepily as she climbed up the front of the cart to lay on the hay at the top, shifting into her original form as she went. "You're a sis-con anyways."

"I-I am NOT!" Lelouch snapped angrily as C.C. laughed joyously.

A _long_ silence passed between them.

Eventually C.C. spoke as she stared up at the sky above them. Perhaps even beyond the sky above them.

"I said that Geass was the Power of the King which would condemn you to a life of solitude..."

There was a brief pause as C.C. smiled.

" _Hmm_ , I think that maybe that's not quite correct...right... _Lelouch_?


End file.
